The Raptors’ Cory Joseph, right, is blocked by Oklahoma City the Thunder’s Kevin Durant during first half NBA action in Toronto on Monday, March 28, 2016.Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press
The Toronto Raptors missed out on win No.50 Monday night, but that was less worrisome than Kyle Lowry's irritated elbow or the fact that the team couldn't match the physicality of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Before a Toronto crowd so accustomed to seeing Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan providing the thrills, Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant were the stars on this occasion, slapping the Raptors with a 119-100 loss.
Durant had 34 points and eight assists for the Thunder, while his All-Star backcourt mate Westbrook exploded for a triple-double: 26 points, 11 assists and 12 rebounds. With the loss, the Raptors fall to 49-24, still shy of reaching the 50-win plateau for the first time in franchise history, but with nine games left in the regular season.
DeRozan managed 19 points and 14 assists on 8-of-22 shooting from the field to lead Toronto, while rookie Norman Powell had a season-high 18. Lowry had 14 points on another rough shooting night -- 4-of-14 – and had fluid drained from a sore elbow that's been bothering him.
"I'm not going to make no excuses, and it's definitely something I don't like playing with, but at this time of year you just play through it," said Lowry. "You can't extend your elbow the complete way, but hopefully we got it taken care of [with the draining], and hopefully we'll have a game where I won't be shooting as bad as I have the last three games."
Oklahoma City was fresh off a victory over the powerhouse San Antonio Spurs, part of a seven-game win streak in which the Thunder they beat their opponents by an average of 16.9 points per game. This victory pushes the Thunder to 52-22, still the No.3-seeded team in the Western Conference.
Toronto, the second-seeded team in the Eastern Conference at the moment, missed out on a chance to secure a 17 win against the West this year, which would have been a new club record.
The Thunder jumped out to a fast 13-2 lead right off the opening tip. The Raptors hit just one of their first eight shots and seven of the 22 they took in the quarter and Westbrook and Durant were just getting started with seven points apiece. Toronto trailed 27-21 when the quarter ended.
Right inside the second quarter, with Oklahoma City's star backcourt taking a breather, the Raptors went on a 10-3 run and seized the lead, punctuated with a big three from Patrick Patterson. It lasted only a heartbeat.
The Thunder starters were quickly subbed back in and easily re-gained the lead. Despite DeRozan dumping in 15 points by half-time, Oklahoma City was dominating. Speedy Westbrook -- MVP of the past two NBA All-Star games -- motored around Toronto's defenders and had 17 points by half-time on everything from long three pointers to dunks. Durant had 14, and Dion Waiters got loose for a nine-point quarter. The Thunder held a commanding 61-48 win at the half, leading Toronto in the fast-break points category by an emphatic 22-2. The Thunder gambled on defence and played smart in the passing lanes, and it paid off in steals and easy buckets.
"You try to match their intensity," said DeRozan. "But once those guys get going, it's hard to slow them down."
Powell, making his 15 start for Toronto, exploded for ten points in the third quarter – including two three-pointers. He was also asked to help on Westbrook – doing his best to keep the superstar to contested shots. Still Westbrook and Durant led the way. Like a top-notch playoff contender, the scoring came from all angles as Serge Ibaka and Steven Adams got hot too.
The Thunder held a whopping 97-74 lead going into the fourth. Terrence Ross, who is nursing a sore left thumb, did not play. Trailing big late, the Raptors took the chance to get minutes for developing youngsters like Lucas Nogueira and Delon Wright.
Toronto coach Dwane Casey lamented his team didn't adjust to the officiating when his team wasn't getting calls. The Raptors didn't play nearly as physical against one of the NBA's best teams as Casey wanted.
"Frustration set in on the offensive end, and we didn't play with physicality on that end of the floor and it carried over to the defensive end," said Casey. "Tonight is a learning experience that tells us just how hard we have to compete with force on both ends of the floor for longer periods of time."
Six of Toronto's final nine games come versus teams in playoff position but there are still nine chances left to improve upon last year's club-best 49-33 record. First up is a visit from the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday, currently the No.3-seeded team in the East.
Rachel Brady